Axl Rose was spotted in Shanghai on Tuesday (October 8). Was the Guns N' Roses mastermind taking Chinese Democracy to the streets instead of the studio? Who knows — there's still no release date in sight. ... During a surprise appearance on "TRL" on Wednesday (October 9), Limp Bizkit head honcho Fred Durst said he appears on the intro to Christina Aguilera's next album, Stripped. He chalked up the contribution to the pair putting "all the drama" they've had in the past behind them. ...

A limited edition CD single of Creed's "Don't Stop Dancing," is set to drop October 22. In addition to the fourth single from latest LP, Weathered, the disc includes acoustic versions of its title track and "With Arms Wide Open from 1999's Human Clay. ... After recently touring with Creed, Sevendust is revving up to tour with 30 Seconds to Mars and Cinder starting November 7 in Chicago. To date, three shows are confirmed in Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. ...

Shakira, Cher, Celine Dion, the Dixie Chicks, Stevie Nicks and Anastacia will be featured on Divas Las Vegas, due October 22. The compilation from the fifth annual "VH1 Divas Live" event will also be released on DVD with behind-the-scenes footage and a documentary about the making of the show. ... Despite expecting to continue as planned, Glassjaw were forced to postpone the first five U.S. tour dates after having to reschedule a handful of European dates due to singer Daryl Palumbo's relapse of intestinal disorder Crohn's Disease. Shows from October 16 in New York to October 21 in Atlanta will be tacked on to the end of the group's itinerary, which runs through November 23. ...

Russia's biggest television station, Channel 1 (ORT), announced Tuesday that it was teaming up with the Russian Space Agency to create a rocket reality game show strikingly similiar to the one proposed by the backers of the Lance Bass space bid, creating a rivalry for empty seats on Soyuz taxi crews to the International Space Station. ORT said it planned to launch the first winner in orbit in the fall of 2003. Despite being pulled off this fall's flight, the 'NSYNC singer has continued to train in Star City near Moscow with an eye toward a spring launch and is expected to earn certification from the training complex this week ... California's underground hip-hop forces collide for a bi-coastal Cali Comm Tour, which kicks off on Friday (October 11) at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The outing will feature Del the Funky Homosapien, the People Under the Stairs, Motion Man with Kutmasta Kurt and Lifesavas. ...

10.08.02

The release of the greatest-hits collection Nirvana, featuring the previously unreleased "You Know You're Right" — one of the last recordings rendered by Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic — has been pushed up to October 29. The release was previously set for November 12. ... The enhanced CD single for "Die Another Day," Madonna's title track to the next James Bond flick, has been pushed up from November 12 to October 22, according to Warner Bros. The soundtrack is still due November 12 and will feature Paul Oakenfold's take on 007's theme. ... Fiona Apple and producer Jon Brion are currently holed up in a Los Angeles studio working on the singer/songwriter's still-untitled third album. ...

Some call Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen the king of industrial metal, but he paid tribute to a king of a different stripe when he married girlfriend Angelina Lukacin at Elvis' Graceland mansion late last month. The next Ministry album, Animositisomina, is finished and scheduled for February release. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante has recorded all of the basic tracks for his fourth, yet-untitled solo album, but no release date has been set. The disc is being co-produced by Frusciante and Jim Scott and will feature Peppers drummer Chad Smith among other guests. ... With their major-label debut, So Long, Astoria, due in March, The Ataris are heading out on the road with Sugarcult, Autopilot Off and Rufio to tune up. The six-week North American tour begins on November 4 at the X-Scape in Salt Lake City and winds up on December 16 at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. ...

A group of musicians, actors, authors and other celebrities, including Mos Def, Ozomatli, Laurie Anderson, Zack de la Rocha, Steve Earle, Ani DiFranco, Brian Eno, Jane Fonda, Danny Glover, Martin Luther King III, Oliver Stone, Gore Vidal, Casey Kasem, Tom Morello and Kurt Vonnegut, have joined together in an anti-war protest under the banner "Not In Our Name." The group recently took out full-page ads in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times featuring a "Statement of Conscience" questioning U.S. military policy and a possible attack on Iraq. ... Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, Jewel and country singer Wynonna will perform at City of Hope's annual Spirit of Life gala dinner on October 17 in Santa Monica, California. Each of the performers will sing their soundtrack hits of the summer at the black-tie event. ...

The Goo Goo Dolls' second leg of their tour in support of Gutterflower kicks off on October 31 in Poughkeepsie, New York, and runs through a December 10 show in Los Angeles. Joining them on the run will be bespectacled "Stay" songstress Lisa Loeb. ... Chicago's insurgent country label Bloodshot Records will celebrate its 100th release with a collection of rare and previously unreleased tracks as well as cover versions of songs by Poison, Parliament, XTC, Madonna, Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams. Among those contributing to the 19-track record are Ryan Adams, Waco Brothers, Neko Case, Moonshine Willy, the Meat Purveyors, the Sadies, Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys, Jon Langford and Kelly Hogan. ...

Metallica frontman James Hetfield has hopped on board a Waylon Jennings tribute album with a cover of "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand," which originally appeared on Jennings' 1978 album I've Always Been Crazy Crazy. The LP, due in February, will also feature Kenny Chesney and Kid Rock, George Jones and Emmylou Harris, Ben Harper, Hank Williams, Jr., Travis Tritt, Dwight Yoakam and others. ... Former R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry returned to an Athens, Georgia, stage last week to drum for an all-star band fronted by Mike Mills. The show, a benefit for Senator Doug Haines, was all covers and climaxed with the Turtles' "Happy Together" featuring vocals from Michael Stipe. ... With Uncle Kracker busy promoting his solo album, No Stranger to Shame,Kid Rock has invited Detroit DJ and rapper Paradime to fill his shoes on the Bullgod's upcoming trek, which kicked off earlier this week. Paradime has appeared on Rock's past two albums. ...

Eric "Money Ray" Hoskins, a member of legendary hip-hop outfit the Cold Crush Brothers since 1980, died October 4 of cancer, which he was diagnosed with just five weeks earlier. He was 38. ... Original Iron Butterfly vocalist Darryl DeLoach, 55, died on October 3 at his mother's home in San Diego following a battle with liver cancer. DeLoach, who appeared on the band's debut album, Heavy, left Iron Butterfly before their 1968 calling card album In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida. ... Michael Jackson's first signed contract, Liberace's grand piano and guitars played by Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix are among the memorabilia being auctioned off by Guernsey's at the Altman Building in New York on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Associated Press. Also on the block is what's being called the "world's oldest guitar," which dates back to the 16th century.